A fascinating Red Dead Redemption 2 fan edit casts some of Hollywood’s biggest stars in a theoretical live-action film adaptation. Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption franchise transports players back to a fictionalized version of the United States’ Wild West and takes them on an epic journey full of memorable characters, a multi-avenue story and shootouts. The story of Red Dead Redemption spans many years, with the 2018 prequel providing more backstory into the various characters introduced in 2010’s original installment.
In many ways, the Red Dead series strives to inject players directly into a classic western film and cast them as the grizzled cowboy protagonist. Throughout both open-world titles, players can ride horses, capture bounty targets, rob trains, engage in pistol duels and much more. The franchise’s third-person shooter gameplay has players gun down rival criminals in droves, with the signature Dead Eye mechanic allowing them to slow down time to take down rivals with pin-point accuracy. However, the grand narrative presented by the Red Dead franchise is mournful and downbeat, drawing similarities between RDR and anti-western movies which focus on the decline and death of the American Wild West.
Tying into the series’ cinematic roots, Reddit user TheNotoriousMedium has cast various Hollywood actors as Red Dead Redemption characters in an impressive edit. Norman Reedus, known for his long-running role on The Walking Dead and as the protagonist of the Kojima Productions title Death Stranding, is cast as the redeemed outlaw John Marston. Meanwhile, Chris Hemsworth’s rugged yet soft looks aptly land him the role of beloved RDR2 protagonist Arthur Morgan. Norman Reedus’ Walking Dead co-star Jeffrey Dean Morgan is edited into the charismatic Dutch Van der Lindt, who dominates both games’ stories. Finally, the talented Tom Hardy is transformed into the prequel’s most hated character, Micah Bell.
Click here to see the original Reddit post.
With its sprawling recreation of the Wild West and its truly cinematic story moments, the Red Dead Redemption series is hard to separate from the western films that serve as its inspiration. This naturally leads to fictional fan-castings – such as the one edited by TheNotoriousMedium, as well as fan-made trailers created within the games themselves. One particularly effective Red Dead Redemption 2 fan trailer combines scripted moments with the game’s natural beauty to create an enticing big-screen production. The music, editing and tone all call to mind the Spaghetti Westerns of the past, while the sequel’s brutality harkens to a more cynical depiction of the American west.
Thanks to the series’ silver screen inspirations, many Red Dead Redemption fans have imagined the possibility of a live-action movie based on the epic saga. TheNotoriousMedium’s cast edit does an excellent job of staying true to each character while also spotlighting some big-name Hollywood talent. With Norman Reedus’ work on Death Stranding, it seems especially likely that the Walking Dead star would have an interest in portraying John Marston in a theoretical film adaptation.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available on PS4, Xbox One, Google Stadia and PC.
Source: TheNotoriousMedium/Reddit
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